1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to opto-electronic interconnects, and particularly to opto-electronic interconnect cables having electrical interfaces at the terminal ends thereof.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
The technology associated with digital communications has evolved extremely rapidly over recent years. Computers and related peripheral equipment, satellite and communication systems are becoming ever more sophisticated and powerful demanding constantly higher rates of data communications. Unfortunately, data transfer remains a gating capability. This issue holds for data transfer within an integrated circuit, from one chip to another, from hybrid circuit to hybrid circuit, from integrated circuit board to another integrated circuit board, and from system to system.
Increasing data transfer rates has been tried in several ways. Some increase in the data transfer rate has been obtained by increasing the speed at which signals are communicated from one part of a system or network to another. The fastest known means is the use of optical or photonic signals because they do not suffer the inductance and capacitance problems that electrical signals have. The other approach used for increasing data transfer rates is to increase the number of data channels being used. Increasing the number of channels can be done spatially by increasing the number of optical fiber cables and their associated electronic interfaces or, in the frequency domain, by increasing the number of different frequency or wavelength channels used on each optical fiber cable, i.e. wavelength division multiplexing. In both of these approaches, and especially in combinations thereof, more information is sent during any given period of time thus increasing communication bandwidth.
Opto-electronic communications have their own associated problems however, such as the optical-electronic interface and the requirements of handling fiber optic cables and connections. Because optical communications run at a much higher data rate than the electrical side of the interface, bottlenecks of data typically occur at the opto-electronic point of conversion. These bottlenecks require special data handling electronics. In addition, the electronic components needed to drive and detect the optical signals, have their own special electrical and form factor requirements, in terms of required power and heat dissipation. Lastly, the costs of such components and their circuit requirements are also significant.
Signal transmission interconnects using optical fiber for data transmission and having opto-electronic conversion means at each end of the fiber are known. Different examples of such interconnects are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,420,954; 5,524,679; 5,561,727; and 5,896,480. Such devices are adapted to mechanically and electrically connect to various types of electrical connectors and have one or more, or even linear arrays of, individual fibers for transferring data optically.
Because of the various industry needs and the factors discussed above, a means for further increasing bandwidth or data transmission rates, which employ fiber optic transmission media in a convenient package, would prove useful and would contribute to advancing the power and efficiency of existing systems.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a high bandwidth, opto-electronic communications device. It is a further object to provide such a device which increases the number of signal channels available for such devices.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an optoelectronic connector for terminating the end of a fiber optic bundle having a two-dimensional array of separate fiber channels, including; a two-dimensional, integrated circuit array of emitter and/or detector elements affixed to the fiber bundle and adapted to couple photonic signals between the separate fiber channels of the bundle and respective separate emitter or detector elements within the array; an ASIC substrate including drive circuitry electrically connected to the array and adapted to drive emitter elements and/or sense detector elements within the array and adapted to provide a separate electrical signal channel corresponding to each separate emitter and detector element and thereby corresponding to each separate fiber channel; fanout circuit means associated with the ASIC substrate and drive circuitry for spatially separating the electrical signal channels; and an electrical connector means connected to the fanout circuit means and having individual connectors corresponding to the separate electrical signal channels and thereby to the separate fiber channels, with the electrical connector means being adapted to mechanically and electrically connect to a separate electrical connector.